Scraps

What do you do with your scraps? I always have a difficult time parting with the scrap fabric left over from projects. I know most of it isn't usable, but still I can't bring myself to just toss them out.

I like to imagine, though I have no idea if it's true, that quilting was originally born out of saving scraps like these to sew into blankets.  So several years ago, I started cutting the scraps down into little squares, so I could eventually do just that. I did this recently with the leftovers from my Sherlock skirt test, and this is my process!

The first thing to do is to sort the scraps into three piles:

• Small: pieces that have any dimension less than 3"
• Medium: pieces that can fit a 3"x3" square
• Large: pieces that can fit a 5.5"x5.5" square

You could cut out a pattern from paper to do a quick estimate as you're sorting, too.

Take the small pile, and toss it into the trash. Feel better that you never have to organize that fabric again!

Take the medium and large pieces, and cut squares that are 3"x3" and 5.5"x5.5", respectively. It can save time to fold the fabric so you can cut a few layers at a time.

For the 3" pieces, I save even more time by using my 3" wide ruler.

Sometimes, you just have to cut out those 3" squares and toss out the scraps from your scraps.

But once you're done, you'll have an orderly pile of fabric squares.

This post would be much more impressive if I could find my full stash of squares! :) 

Here's the pile I was able to find. You can sew the squares together to make diagonal blocks (this is super clever, and comes out of the quilt block book I mentioned around Christmas time), or just sew them together.

The 5.5" square should be the same width as two 3" squares sewn together, using a 1/4" seam allowance. 

My scrap quilt is somewhere on the long queue of projects in my head... I'll get to it some day!